Calla Lily
by Meowser Clancy
Summary: Kate has been called many things over the years, but none of them have stuck. Until now. Please R&R! Now complete. Check out the sequel/tie-in: News.
1. Target

She'd been called different things over the years.

In preschool, she'd been Brownie, because of her love for the desert.

In her middle school years, she'd decided that Katherine was cooler name, and she'd kept up that trend for until high school.

Her mother called her Katie, or Katherine when she was clumsy.

Her dad called her Kitty Cat, and her sister called her Sis, or occasionally Twin. (They weren't twins, but liked to pretend they were.)

In high school, she'd gotten a few nicknames she preferred not to mention, usually doing with her curvaceous body type, and an unfortunate (one time) incident with a football player.

Once she'd joined the FBI, a place of code names and intrigue, she'd been given a new name for almost every undercover case. She was rarely allowed to use the same first name, and never the same surname.

Before 9/11, she'd vacillated between very romantic names like Adriana or Melinda, to plain, boyish ones like Jamie. On an undercover sting operation to uncover a prostitution ring, she'd been given the name Riley, and in a similar instance, Samantha, but she'd shortened it to Sam.

After 9/11, she'd used variations of her sister's name, Elisabeth, and that had lasted her a long time. Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Betsy, Lee, Betta, Isabelle, Bettina, Bess, Betty, Ellie, Liza...the possibilities had been endless.

In Andi Swann's unit, she was known as Target, because she always got hers.

The nicknames never really _stuck _though. Seaver called her Target only a quarter of the time, and usually only when joking.

Andi wasn't given to nicknames at all, and tried to discourage them, so Kate had never actively tried to spread it around.

When she went in to interview for the open BAU position, the thought of nicknames didn't even cross her mind.

* * *

A/N: More soon.


	2. Shorty

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and alerts!

* * *

When she joined the BAU, she hadn't expected a nickname, but then had started to think that she was bound to get one when she heard SSA Morgan calling the Tech Analyst Garcia 'Baby Girl', Dr. Reid 'Pretty Boy', and Unit Chief Hotchner 'Ken Doll'. (That was never to Hotch's face.)

She'd been graced with a nickname about six weeks in, when she and Morgan were talking to suspects together.

"You've got really short legs," he'd commented, upon noticing how many steps she needed to take to match his stride.

"You only just noticed?" She'd panted. "I've been this short since I joined the unit."

"But this is the first time you haven't been wearing heels," Morgan said, grinning. "Shorty."

"Don't," she'd joked, but the name had stuck.

Baby Girl, Pretty Boy, Ken Doll and Shorty.

* * *

About a year in to her work at the BAU, she and Reid had had a late night stakeout, on a case in Texas. She was semifamiliar with the area, having had a job once that had taken her here for half a year.

They were discussing old times, clutching hot cups of coffee in chilled hands as they sat in the SUV, waiting for their man to make a move.

"I've just done things with the BAU," Reid said. "I entered a Poker competition once, with Rossi's money. I've briefly posed as delivery boys, and things like that, just to get in somewhere, but I've never gone deep undercover."

"At this point, I can barely count how many 'careers' I've had," she said. "Waitressing was most common. I was a secretary in a Law Office, but my most notable ones were a security guard at a tech building, and then I've been a prostitute almost as much as I've waitressed."

"What name did you use most often? Did you reuse names?" Reid asked, turning his head to look at her.

"I went through a dozen variations of Elisabeth after my sister died," she said. "Half the time it's picked for me, half the time I can decide myself. You cannot reuse last names, but if it's common, you can stick to a name. I was actually Cate once," she laughed. "Spelled with a C. I was taking someone else's place; they couldn't change the name."

"What about nicknames?" Reid asked, fidgeting.

"Target," she said. "In Andi Swann's unit. Shorty here. Katie by my parents. You?"

"Pretty Boy," he said. "Did you ever choose the name Lily?"

"Hmm?" She asked. "Why?"

"Your last name," he said. "Calla. Calla lily. Lily."

"Good point," she said reflectively. "I...don't think I ever did use Lily."

"You should get used to being called Calla Lily then," Reid said, and smiled at her over their coffee. "Because I'm sticking with it."


	3. Calla Lily

"Hey, Calla Lily."

The first time he'd called her that, in front of the team, JJ and Morgan's reactions had been instantaneous: shock.

JJ's eyebrows had raised, and Morgan had almost spilled his coffee. Rossi, however, just quirked his eyebrows and smirked over his own cup of coffee.

"What do you think?"

"I think the tying could maybe not be about control, but about making them, I don't know, decorations?" She pointed to the picture on the screen. "The victims were nude, but he tied their wrists with very pretty, flashy scarves. I don't think it's fully about control."

"You could be on to something," Hotch said. "Let me call Garcia, see where those scarves are sold and if they are a common item or something more unique."

He left the conference room of the Bethany PD quickly, and Morgan's eyebrows hiked up as he turned to face Reid.

"Calla Lily? I thought I was the nickname making machine around here, the only one."

"Garcia gives people nicknames too," Reid said. "What's the big deal?"

"I wonder," JJ said, leaning closer to him. "Seriously. Why Kate?"

Across the table, Kate feigned disinterest and stood up, to give them their privacy.

"You were closer to Emily and Alex. And me, at one point." JJ sounded almost hurt, and Reid frowned as he turned to face her.

"It's not about closeness," Reid said. "It's about timing and what fits. And isn't JJ a nickname?"

JJ bit her cheek, smiled stiffly and stood up. "I was thinking, maybe Carrie wasn't our UnSub's first victim."

Kate turned around quickly and met Reid's gaze, as if to assure herself of something, and when it had been confirmed, she smiled and walked around the table.

"Don't you think you deserve a name too?" She asked quietly.

* * *

A/N: Please review! I'd really appreciate some feedback!


	4. Chance

"I want to be original," Kate said, hurrying to keep up with Reid as they walked out to the SUV. "It can't be anything Garcia or Morgan called you."

"No 'Pretty Boy', then," Reid said. "Or 'Tall and Smart One.'"

"Ooh, I like that," Kate said. "Garcia's?"

"Yes," Reid answered. "Who's driving?"

"You can," Kate said, flipping him the keys and he walked around to the other side of the car while she got into the passenger seat. "Did Garcia already send the coordinates to the car's GPS?" She asked Reid, twisting to buckle up.

"It looks like it," Reid said. "Off we go to that accessory store. I hope your theory holds water."

"I hope it more," Kate said grimly. "That latest victim looked a lot like my sister."

"That's tough," Reid said. "There was a case where the victim looked so much like Maeve she could have been her twin. I...almost lost it, then and there."

"But it's gotten better," Kate said. "Everyday, something little changes and it's...nice to be reminded of them, instead of sad."

"Exactly," Reid said, both slim hands gripping the steering wheel as he made a right turn.

There was silence for a few moments, and Reid briefly met her eyes in the rearview mirror. Kate smiled at him, and when he took his left hand off the steering wheel and placed it next to her leg, she took it in her own.

"You made a play on words with mine," Kate said softly. "I should call you something like Reading."

"It would fit," Reid said. "I read a lot."

"You read more than a lot," Kate said. "It's one of the things I like about you. So, how about Caramel?"

His surprise was more than visible on his face. "Where did _that _come from?"

"You don't like it?" She sighed. "I was counting on it. How about Darling?"

"No," Reid said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Sweet Thang?" She asked, putting on an exaggerated accent. "Lover. Hotch would flip."

"Lover?" Reid said, raising an eyebrow. "Really? That's the best you can do."

"JJ has already got Spence," Kate mused. "And you really can't shorten Reid. How about Gene?"

"Short for Genius? No, thank you," Reid said. "Try harder."

"SR?" She said. "Ick. DSR. D. Ooh, this is harder than I thought it would be."

"You can do it," Reid said, making a left turn onto a small side street. He pulled over at a boutique, and turned to face her. "One last shot."

"Chance," Kate said softly. "You're my best chance."

"Calla Lily," Reid began. "I think you've got it."

* * *

A/N: Please review! I'd love to see what you think!


	5. Danger

"Chance?" The question was asked on a dark night, in a wild voice that shouted the words in panic. Next to Kate, Hotch was also shouting.

"Reid! Where are you?"

The two circled the dark parking lot again, continuing to call their teammate's name.

"Reid!"

"Chance!'

After her second time calling Reid 'Chance', Hotch turned to her.

"Where does that come from?" He asked, a hint of frustration in his tone.

"What do you mean? It's a nickname," Kate said. "Chance!"

"Most nicknames come from your name," Hotch said. "Chance?"

"Do you prefer Lover?" Kate asked. "Don't we have more important things to do right now? Like find him?"

"Are you two dating?" Hotch asked. "Interteam relationships are against the rules. If you and Spencer become more serious about each other...I would feel compelled to transfer you out of the unit."

Kate's eyes flashed, but she continnued to search for Reid as she considered her words.

"I wouldn't call it dating," Kate said. "Let me talk to Spencer before I say anything else about it. We've never...clarified what 'it' is."

A call came in on Hotch's cell. "They found him," he said, and the two immediately took off to the SUV.

"Where is he?" Kate asked, panic in her voice.

"In the hospital."


	6. Lover

Hands caressed his face: small, soft hands.

Spencer Reid stirred where he was laying on a stark white hospital bed, and was lulled awake to find Kate looking down at him.

Her eyes showed intense relief, and he was surprised when she leaned down and brushed her lips over his eyelids.

"What happened?" He asked groggily. "I don't remember."

"I'm glad," Kate said fiercely. "You were attacked. Can we leave it at that for now?"

He noticed the look in her eyes, and nodded. "Where's everyone else?"

"I...Hotch noticed that you were starting to wake up and he...shooed everyone else out so I could greet you," Kate said.

"Alone?" Reid asked, and she nodded.

"Did you ask him to?" Reid asked, hesitant.

"He figured it out," Kate said. "But Reid, I wouldn't mind transferring out, if it meant I could...be with you."

His eyes flashed, and he brought his arm up, slowly, to brush her face.

"Let's not dwell on that now, Calla Lily."

"Oh, God, Chance," she said, and kissed him, very gently so as to not jostle him.

"We're going to have to try that again sometime," Reid said, when she pulled away. "I think it would be much better when I'm not injured."

She let out a choked laugh. "I do too."


End file.
